Bliss: Wine Bar

Last week I had a big night out–I went to a book club/wine night! For some it may sound super dorky, but I honestly was looking forward to it so much and it was way better than I had even anticipated.

I have lots of gals who love to read in my life and one who lives local started a little “Book Therapy” Facebook Group. We don’t have to read the same books, but when we do read, we share the books we love and can chat about them etc.

A new swanky little wine and dessert bar opened recently, and the owners are SO sweet, down to earth and just adorable. I could tell they put so much time, effort, energy and thought into all of the details of Bliss. (It helps that I love the name, since it was my maiden name!!)

The wife came up with the idea to have a little book club at the bar, and this was their second meet-up. She asks trivia questions and there are even prizes to be won!!

I had literally just bought my copy of this book, Elin Hilderbrand’s The Perfect Couple, so it was simply meant to be. The book, in my opinion, was an excellent Summer read!! It had mystery, love, and lots of characters to help you get lost in the story line. I won’t give away anything, but if you love a good chick lit mixed with a “who done it” vibe, grab yourself a copy and enjoy!

I reached out to a few my girls and a good book & some wine were all we needed to hear! I realized as I was driving there, how little of this kind of thing I do for myself. I’ll workout, I’ll go on date nights with Joe, I will do my hair/nails etc. However, I do not spend nearly any time hanging out with other mamas/women and talking about something I love so much–reading!

For $25 we got to choose a glass of wine, (I went with the rosé), a small plate (I did the pizza) and a dessert (chocolate all the way!) How fun is this?!

The cauliflower crust was something I wanted to try, as it’s all the rage, and it was SO good. I love pizza and this legit curbed my craving. Artichokes, broccoli, herbs…amazing! I was hungry so I actually finished the whole thing! It very much reminded me of a thin crust pizza.

The desserts both looked to die for– I had a hard time choosing which to indulge in, but I went with the chocolate. I could barely eat half, I was so stuffed from dinner!

The atmosphere is so chic and cozy! Dark walls, funky light fixtures and cool sculptures create such a cool vibe. I think it will make an excellent retreat come Winter months! I can totally see myself and my hubby curling up in a corner booth with some red wine, or even meeting some girlfriends out for some snacks and drinks.

I can’t wait until the next “Book Club” meeting! Not only was the place itself fabulous, but allowing all of us readers to indulge in ‘dorky’ conversation about all the books we have read, plus one particular book was so fun. We all had our phones out taking notes and taking screen shots of what we should read next, where to find the best deals/free books and how some books are just so whacky!

Being a former English teacher, I was right in my element and had so much fun discussing literary elements, character development and basic plot summaries.

More than the book discussion though, it was the female bonding time. I know, I know I probably sound super cheesy, but seriously! All of us feel like, “The worst mom ever.” We all are so hard on ourselves and live in our own little bubbles…but here, we can air out our frustrations of motherhood and this beautifully crazy thing called parenting! We lifted each other up and gave support, we shared how sometimes we give cereal for lunch or pull the takeout card too often, and inspired one another to maybe give a little bit more. Isn’t that what it’s about? It was also so crazy to hear how a mom of a 15 year old girl feels, vs the current state of being a mom to littles. I know that all too soon, it won’t be cool to sit outside with me by a campfire, so I’ll take the ‘being pecked to death by chickens’ as much as I can for now. (with some more breaks like going to Bliss mixed in!)

If you are in or near Rochester, certainly take the time and check out Bliss!! I will be retuning for the Cava bubbly–one of my FAVES! Oh, and I will definitely be utilizing UBER so I can enjoy more than one glass of these amazing wines.